Writing a Web Series? How strong is Your Characters’ Arc?

February 25, 2018

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Transformation in characters is always fun to watch on a screen. Be it a fall of a character or that of a rise in it, it altogether increases the intensity of the character. Why is baasha or annamalai still one of the very favourite films for all of us? It’s only because of the transformation in these characters that resulted in an overall heroic moment in these! This arsc in a character makes the viewers invest in more. The audience unknowingly start hooting or feel sorrow for these characters from their sub-conscious levels.

Now, when one is going to think about a web series or even a tele series, these character arcs have a more significant roles to play than in a film! It would in everyway be the only determining factor for the viewer to watch the next episode. If he/she doesn’t invest in the series which is in most cases only because of the character, he/she would never wait for the next episode. So what are these character arcs? Read more to find out.

Types of character arc!

One could categorise character arc into three sub categories Rise arc, Shift arc, and Fall arc. The Rise arc is the form when the character goes through various changes according to the situation and gains a rise in the plot. Like in Breaking bad, where the iconic Walter white’s character starts as a normal science teacher and rigorously transforms into a drug maker and then into a mafia leader. The character arc here has a rise throughout the plot in a rapid phase

Shift arc can be easily explained within the character transformation of Jamie Lannister in Game of thrones. Where his character just get changed , neither rise nor fall but his character just gets altered from the course he was about to travel with his initial traces of character. This could also be explained by taking the example of the characters of soodhu kavvum. How 3 persons get into kidnapping quite randomly and how circumstances work against them and they somehow end up into the business of politics which is quite contrast to their beginning! There isn’t a rise or a fall in any of these characters.:

Fall arc as the name suggests, is literally the fall of the character. How a very built character having a strong hold in terms of anything with respect to the character’s life ultimately falls suddenly is what would make a fall arc in a character. Again taking the example from game of thrones, Ned stark’s character it is introduced with so much pride and royalty then at the end he loses his power , made to plead and then gets into a gory form of death.

Unlike films, web series have an edge over films in terms of the duration. Due to this, one could easily bring in the character arc in a more organic way without rushing up events. From the changes of minute behaviour patterns to entire physical changes, one has the scope of sketching them in a web series. Now these make the characters more humane and one among the audience. This would obviously result in them wanting to watch more of it! Character arc in one way is a key for getting hold of the audience’s pulse in a web series for sure!